


Synesthesia

by easyluckyfree45



Series: Soulmates AU [1]
Category: Archie Comics, Archie Comics & Related Fandoms, Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, F/M, Fluff and Smut, Future Fic, Light Angst, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates, pining!jughead
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-12
Updated: 2020-06-15
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:41:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,553
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24685513
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/easyluckyfree45/pseuds/easyluckyfree45
Summary: Soulmates AU. All the soulmate literature that he’s devoured over the years keep it vague, however. There are only a few things that are the same for everyone – hard facts proven by science and study. When you’re born, the age that you’ll be when you meet your soulmate is tattooed on your body somewhere. This is a soulmark. When you and your soulmate touch for the first time, the number changes into an infinity symbol. There’s debates about whether or not you can feel your soulmate’s presence before touching them. It’s all a bit murky from there.Jughead Jones is 20 when he meets two women that could potentially be the love of his life. His soulmate.Inspired by the color Orange for Color Me Riverdale.7th BFFAs Winner for Under the Radar
Relationships: Betty Cooper & Jughead Jones, Betty Cooper/Jughead Jones
Series: Soulmates AU [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1812877
Comments: 90
Kudos: 264
Collections: 7th Bughead Fanfiction Awards - Nominees, 7th Bughead Fanfiction Awards — Winners!, Color Me Riverdale





	1. False Confidence

**Author's Note:**

> I love love love Soulmates fics. I live for them. So, here is my first entry into the Bughead community. This is terrifying and daunting but I hope you all enjoy! Comments and kudos are always appreciated!
> 
> There’s a few movie references in here – can you find them all?

_Look at me all fucked up over someone I’ll never meet_  
_And I wonder why I tear myself down_  
_To be built back up again_  
_Oh I hope somehow, I’ll wake up young again_

_“False Confidence” by Noah Kahan_

**Chapter 1: False Confidence**

Jughead Jones is 20 when he meets two women that could potentially be the love of his life. His soulmate. 

He meets Sabrina Spellman first. 

She sits down next to him in his first class of sophomore year at NYU, Representations of Women. She has platinum blonde hair, cut in a short bob. She’s wearing a black turtleneck and a red pinafore dress. It’s her bright red lipstick that catches his attention, however. He doesn’t see a soulmark anywhere on her and when he notices her pointed look, he realizes he’s staring.

He quickly busies himself with flipping through his textbooks and pretends he wasn’t staring at all. She’s pretty, he thinks. He’s been in the big city for over a year now and she’s the first girl that’s caught his attention. That has to mean something, right?

He has no idea what it means. His palms get sweaty and his heartbeat increases. He’s nervous. She’s really pretty.

The professor starts introducing herself and class begins. He should be listening and paying attention. He’s on a merit scholarship so keeping his academic scores up is key but he’s distracted. He keeps sneaking glances at her out of the corner of his eye.

He should just know, right? After all, isn’t that how soulmates worked? Weren’t you supposed to just know immediately?

He’s floundering in his thoughts. He thinks back to when Archie first met Veronica during junior year of high school. She was the new girl, having just transferred from a fancy private school near the city. Her entrance into Riverdale’s society had been all the hot gossip for weeks. It was a small town. Everyone knew everyone’s business. So, it became headline worthy news when it was revealed that Archie Andrews, All-American boy next door and star quarterback, had found his soulmate in the socialite’s daughter, Veronica Lodge.

Jughead remembers talking to Archie about it a few days later.

“I just knew, man. I saw her and I knew,” Archie confessed, his puppy dog expression prominent. “And, when I finally held her for the first time, it was like magic. I could just feel that she was the one for me.”

Jughead takes everything Archie says with a grain of salt. His best friend had a reputation of being a lothario and it wasn’t necessarily unfound. He’s heard Archie talk about being in love before but even he can see that Veronica is different. It’s in the softness of Archie’s eyes when he looks at her.

It all happened so fast. But, he supposes that’s the way that soulmates worked. It was supposed to be an instantaneous realization, right?

Jughead still doesn’t know. He usually learns from what he’s taught in class and what he’s read. All the soulmate literature that he’s devoured over the years keep it vague, however. There are only a few things that are the same for everyone – hard facts proven by science and study. When you’re born, the age that you’ll be when you meet your soulmate is tattooed on your body somewhere. This is a soulmark. When you and your soulmate touch for the first time, the number changes into an infinity symbol. There’s debates about whether or not you can feel your soulmate’s presence before touching them. It’s all a bit murky from there.

The professor is passing out the syllabus and while most people slide the stack of papers across the large table (it’s the socially acceptable way to interact as some people are averse to touching anyone for soulmate related reasons), Sabrina grabs hers from the classmate next to her and hands them to Jughead. Their fingers brush.

He doesn’t think anything of it. It’s casual. He thinks he should’ve felt electricity but he didn’t. She smiles at him and awkwardly, he smiles back.

God, why is he so bad at this?

He’s grateful that the professor has moved on from reviewing the syllabus and is now delving headfirst into literary discussions. That’s easy. Falling back into a rhythm, he listens thoughtfully to his classmates’ varied input.

They’re discussing the first book of Aurora Leigh by Elizabeth Barrett Browning. People are arguing back and forth while the professor monitors. One particularly douchey looking bro, Jughead thinks his name is Bret, dominates the discussion, barely pausing to take a breath with his monologue.

“-how can you say she’s a feminist when she’s still looking to men’s writings. She spends the majority of the first book espousing the greatness that is Shakespeare. He’s a male author the last time I checked-“

Jughead glances at Sabrina. She doesn’t hide the disgust from her face. 

“Just because she admires a male author doesn’t make her any less of a feminist. You have to think about the time she was writing in. It’s Victorian England,” Sabrina says with a roll of her eyes.

The professor nods, seemingly agreeing and launches into a brief lecture about social constructs during the period. Jughead is half-listening and half jotting down notes. He’s here to listen and learn. It’s a class on representations of women in literature and the students are very heavily female dominant. He and douche bro Bret are the only men.

So, he’s quiet and he listens.

At the end of the class period, the professor asks everyone in the class to partner up to critique each other’s critical reading responses. Jughead tries his best to look anywhere but at Sabrina, hoping someone else will catch his wandering gaze and volunteer to be his partner. He feels something tapping against his forearm.

He chances a glance at her, taking in her deep brown eyes and amused smile. Wow, she’s really pretty, he thinks again. She taps her pencil against his forearm once more and retracts it after getting his attention.

“I’m Sabrina,” she introduces herself and looks at him expectantly, waiting for a response. 

His mouth is open yet he can’t seem to force words out. Finally, he stutters out, “J-Jughead.”

She raises an eyebrow. “Interesting. Want to be partners?”

“Sure.”

He’s finally regained the ability to speak. She jots her number down on a piece of paper. “My schedule is a little wonky this semester but Fridays are usually pretty free,” she says, handing her digits over. “Is that enough time for you to write your response or do you need more time?”

“That’s fine.”

She’s looking at him like she thinks he’s weird. “O-kay,” she says, elongating the vowel. “Well, let’s meet at the coffee shop around the block at 11AM. I can tell you now that Elizabeth Barrett Browning is one of my favorite poets so if you don’t like her, you won’t like what I have to say.”

He smiles at that. “I’m not really familiar with her work so this will be a good introduction.”

Sabrina starts to gather her books and puts her bright red peacoat on. “Well, I can show you the world, Jughead.” She flashes him a smile and walks away.

This is how it starts, he thinks. Our love story.

0000000000000000000000000000

Jughead is a little dazed after he leaves class. He’s walking, step after step, feet shuffling along the ground, but not really paying attention to his surroundings. He’s just met his soulmate. At least, he thinks he has. It’s all a little surreal and part of him wants to call Archie immediately to interrogate him for the millionth time about how he felt when he met Veronica and how he knew that she was his soulmate. Jughead thinks it’s a little unfair that he was born with the number 20 etched onto his right shoulder. After all, so many of his friends met their soulmates when they were younger. Archie had the number 17 and Sweet Pea had 16. He was the only person that he knew who was supposed to meet their soulmate later in life.

He feels her before he sees her – a wave of contentment washes over him and it overtakes him so suddenly that he barely sees a flash of blonde hair run into him. He sees a brief glimpse of her green eyes and smells the sweetest scent of peaches. She bumps into his shoulder. He hears her apologies, a tinkling sweet voice.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry!” She says quickly before she’s rushing away again. “I’m late for class, sorry!”

His shoulder is tingling and he’s still seeing green and smelling peaches. Her blonde ponytail has disappeared into the crowd and he feels a tug on his heart of immense disappointment when he realizes that he can’t see her anymore. 

It was the weirdest sensation. 

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He gets back to his shared apartment that night and immediately hops in the shower. The setting is always on the highest heat, as if he was burning off the remainders of the day. He towel dries his hair and slips on a pair of sweatpants and white tank top. When he pads into the kitchen, he sees his roommate, Reggie, already making dinner.

“Smells good.”

“Thanks dude,” Reggie says, chopping up some tofu. “Kimchi stew, you want some?”

“Yeah, that’d be awesome.” Jughead settles onto the bar stool and sets his laptop on the kitchen island. “You need help?”

“Nah,” he says, adding the tofu and stirring the pot. “How was your first day of class?” Reggie asks, his attention focused on the stew.

“It was fine. Nothing terribly exciting.” Jughead opens his laptop and starts to pull up the various readings he has for the week. He bops his head to the music that Reggie put on. As much as he hated to admit it, Reggie did have excellent taste in music. He starts scrolling through his readings, tapping his leg every so often to the beat.

“Good evening, my loves,” Josie sings lightly as she walks through the door. “Oooo, Reg, smells amazing.” Reggie leans down to give her a quick kiss on the lips before he returns to the stove, stirring the stew.

“Jug,” she says and Jughead waves at her, acknowledging his other roommate, never wavering from his reading.

“Excuse me,” Josie gasps and points at him. “What the hell is that?! Did you meet her?” 

Jughead looks at her, confused before he realizes what she’s pointing at. He tries his best to look over his right shoulder and he sees it. The 20 was gone. It was now an infinity symbol. He feels a rush of relief go through him. Well, that confirmed it. It was definitely Sabrina.

He thinks he should feel something more. Something more tangible. But, he doesn’t.

“Yeah,” he clears his throat. “She’s in one of my English classes. Her name’s Sabrina.” The name feels strange on his lips, his tongue feels like lead, and there’s a bitter taste in his mouth. He starts coughing, desperate to rid himself of the taste.

Josie squeals and claps, coming over to hug him, ignoring his current state. “This is so exciting! Well, we obviously need to meet her, this soulmate of yours.”

“Yeah, well she’s my partner in class so I’m sure she’ll be over a lot.”

“Partner in class, partner in life!” she returns with a big smile. 

“Congrats, bro, about time.” Reggie congratulates him and gives him a high five. 

“Thanks.” Jughead grabs himself a glass of water and downs the whole glass. The bitterness fades. He moves his laptop onto the coffee table in the living room and helps Josie set the kitchen island up for dinner. 

Reggie ladles a generous portion of stew into bowls and scoops portions of rice to accompany it. Josie grabs a few containers of Tupperware from the fridge and dishes out small portions of other small vegetable dishes that Reggie had made over the weekend. Jughead takes out a few beers from the fridge, opening them up and sets them at each place setting. 

Jughead digs in when everyone is finally settled, absolutely ravenous. He knew he was spoiled. Both Reggie and Josie were excellent chefs with a wide repertoire of specialties. He, on the other hand, didn’t really know how to cook at all. His specialty was boxed mac and cheese. He had spent most of his childhood and teenage years surviving on a diet of hamburgers and French fries. It wasn’t until he met Reggie freshman year when they were assigned as roommates that he realized there were cuisines beyond diner food. 

Jughead lets a satisfied moan slip from his lips as he shovels the stew into his mouth with a big spoonful of rice. “Reggie, man, you’ve outdone yourself.”

Reggie smiles and Josie leans over to kiss him on the cheek.

“So good, baby,” she compliments. 

Josie starts to tell them about her day. She was in the vocal arts program at Julliard and led a busy schedule between classes and performances with her band. Reggie interjects with a comment every so often but Jughead is mostly silent, listening and eating. The dynamic is easy and the conversation flows comfortably.

Jughead stands up to get a second portion. As he ladles the stew into his bowl, he looks over at Reggie and Josie who are enjoying a quiet moment. Their foreheads are touching and Reggie murmurs something to her. They just fit together so well. Anyone that looks at them can tell that they are soulmates.

“How did you guys know?” Jughead feels slightly bad for ruining their intimate moment but intimacy had always made him slightly uncomfortable. He chalks it up to his parents’ rocky relationship and eventual divorce.

Reggie pulls himself back into the conversation first while Josie smiles at her boyfriend dreamily. “What was that?”

Jughead sits back down onto the bar stool. “How did you guys know that you were soulmates?”

They smile at each again and Reggie links his hand through hers. 

Josie starts to recall the story. They had met over the summer before their first year of college. Josie had arrived in the city before her program started for vocal training. She had been on her way to a coaching lesson, headphones on, completely oblivious when she felt someone pull her back from the street corner, saving her from a fast car that was taking an illegal turn. It was Reggie. They had tumbled onto the sidewalk, wrapped in each other’s arms and watched, completely flummoxed, as the mutual marks on their wrists started to change before their eyes.

“I just knew, man. There was something in the air that changed and I could just feel her, you know?” Reggie says, still staring at Josie lovingly. She nods in agreeance.

No, Jughead thinks. He doesn’t know.

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Jughead realizes he’s a coward when he’s sitting in the café across from Sabrina and he still hasn’t brought up the fact that they are soulmates. For the first thirty minutes of their study session, he hopes that she would bring it up and save him the awkward segue into that topic. When they were nearing on an hour of discussing their essays and critiques, he realizes that she’s definitely not going to bring it up. He would need to do it.

So, he takes another sip of his black coffee, dark roast, and opens his mouth, about to launch into his proclamation when her phone starts buzzing.

Her eyes narrow in annoyance. “Ughh, sorry, my roommate is locked out and forgot her key. I need to head back to my apartment.” She starts shoving her books into her tote bag.

He’s at a loss for what to do and just nods. He should say something, right? They were soulmates. They could start the rest of their lives together now.

“This was really productive. I’ll see you in class,” she says quickly, before rushing out of the café.

He feels a slight twinge of disappointment but nowhere near the amount that he thinks he should. He remembers the way that Archie and Veronica used to be, necking at each other constantly and always touching. If they even spent a few hours apart, they could feel the loss of their soulmate. It was like losing a limb, Archie had once described – some part of you was missing. 

Maybe every soulmate pair was different, Jughead decides. Every connection must have its own unique rules and circumstances. 

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He’s in class. Sabrina sits across from him, not really paying any attention to him, despite his repeated efforts at trying to catch her eye. The discussion moves to the relationship between Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett Browning. He watches as a wistful look appears on Sabrina’s face and she raises her hand to make a comment about how Elizabeth’s brilliance and poetry is what started the entre romance in the first place.

Bret, of course, as usual, interjects and inserts his own inane commentary. Sabrina barely acknowledges it and doesn’t let his interruptions stop her from making her point. Jughead admires her quietly. She’s brilliant. His soulmate is brilliant.

When the class wraps up, he nearly stumbles over several of his classmates in his effort to get to her before she leaves.

“Hi,” he breathes out, wishing he wasn’t as nervous as he sounded.

Sabrina looks up at him, her blonde curls bouncing and framing her face. “Hey, what’s up?”

“You want to get a coffee? Maybe get a head start on this week’s prompt?”

She looks at her watch and shrugs. “Yeah, I guess I have an hour before my next class. Let’s do it.”

He follows her out the door and they walk down the hallways towards the coffee shop. He asks about her other classes and she explains that she’s in the dramatic literature program and she’s interested in pursuing theatre. They get their coffees, paying individually, and Jughead thinks maybe he should’ve paid for them both but before he can get too lost in his own thoughts, they’re sitting down and she’s asking him questions.

He’s nervous and the conversation is slightly stilted. He doesn’t let himself wonder about that too much. Instead, he takes a deep breath and just says it.

“We’re soulmates.”

Sabrina looks at him, confused. “What are you talking about?” 

Jughead can’t hide the surprise from his face. Out of all the reactions he expected, this was certainly not one of them. He tugs his flannel shirt down a bit and reveals the infinity symbol on his shoulder.

“We’re soulmates,” he says again. “You touched me last week when you handed me the syllabus and later that night, I realized my mark changed.”

Sabrina still has a look of disbelief on her face and suddenly, Jughead feels very self-conscious. Well, clearly, she’s disappointed that the universe made them soulmates. He tries to tamp down the feelings of inadequacy that build up inside him.

Finally, she seems to rouse herself out of her daze. She shakes her head adamantly and tugs her pant leg up, revealing a prominent 24 tattooed on her pale alabaster ankle. “You’re a few years off, I’m afraid.”

He stares at the number etched on her skin. Wait, what? “And you’re not 24?”

“No, doofus. I’m 20, the same age as you.”

He’s still flabbergasted and his mouth opens and closes a few times. “I don’t understand. How are you not my soulmate? You touched me and my soulmark changed.”

“Well, I don’t know what to tell you.” She crosses her arms across her chest and shrugs. “You must’ve touched someone else that day because I am most definitely not your soulmate. Plus, if you were really my soulmate, wouldn’t my mark change too?” 

She has a point. He’s still trying to process this information and doesn’t really know what to say in response. She’s right. Her mark would’ve changed. Her mark should’ve changed.

She gives him a comforting look and squeezes his forearm reassuringly. “I’m sure you’ll find her.” With that, she finishes her coffee and gets up to leave. “I’ll see you in class.”

And, she’s gone.

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Jughead storms through the door of his apartment. Reggie is sitting on the couch, clearly bored and looking for something to watch on TV.

“Dude, you okay? You look paler than usual.”

Jughead doesn’t really know what to say and before he knows it, the words come tumbling out of him in a word vomit. He relays everything that he learned earlier in the day about how he thought Sabrina was his soulmate and she clearly wasn’t. More distressingly, this meant that sometime in the last week, he accidentally touched his soulmate somehow and he didn’t even know who it was. 

Reggie listens patiently and nods along. After Jughead is finally done, he says reassuringly, “It’s not that big of a deal.” He goes back to flipping through his Netflix selections.

“How is this not a big deal?” Jughead hisses. He actively paces around the living room and purposefully blocks Reggie’s view of the television.

“Dude, it means you met her at some point in the last week. How many women have you touched this week?”

“I thought it was just the one!” He feels frantic at this point. “How could I have possibly met my soulmate without actually knowing that I met her?”

“And, you’re sure it’s not the girl from your class?” Reggie sets the remote down beside him.

“Sabrina? No, it’s definitely not her.”

“Okay,” Reggie says calmly, “So, retrace your steps and think about the last week. Who could it be?”

Jughead’s first thought was that it must be someone in one of his classes. But, he can’t think of a single instance, besides the time with Sabrina, where he accidentally touched someone in class. People were very careful about that. In fact, he remembered how he thought it was odd that Sabrina chose to hand him the stack of papers instead of sliding it across the table.

He comes up with nothing.

Reggie sees the look on his face and pats his shoulder and Jughead sits down onto the couch next to him.

“How am I going to find her, Reg?” Jughead says miserably, shoving his face into his hands.

“I don’t know but I know you’ll find her. You guys are soulmates. It’s meant to be.”

He snorts at his roommate’s unwavering optimism. 

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	2. My love, won't you stay awhile?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow! Thank you all so much for your kind words and support. You are all wonderful - hope you enjoy this next chapter!
> 
> Chapter title comes from Lewis Capaldi's "Hold Me While You Wait".

_You’ve been tearing me apart in the dead of night_  
_I’ll be raising my hands when the lightning strikes_  
_Working on a feeling, breaking down the ceiling_  
_Reaching for the sweetest, sweetest peaches_

_“Peaches” by In the Valley Below_

**Chapter 2: My love, won’t you stay awhile?**

Reggie somehow manages to convince Jughead to go to Josie’s gig the next night. His roommate takes advantage of his steadfast loyalty and guilt trips him. It’s Josie’s first big performance of the academic year, he says. She’s counting on him. She needs the friendly faces in the crowd.

Jughead knows it’s all bullshit. Confidence, real confidence, is something that Josie has in spades. It’s all a part of her charm and persona on stage. She’s captivating and she knows it. Reggie is in charge of programming for the Korean Students Association this year and this is their first big social event of the year, co-hosted by the Black Student Union. It’s an open mic night and Josie is headlining it.

This is how Jughead Jones finds himself in the middle of the campus bar on a Tuesday night even though he wants to mope at home in peace and relative silence. The bar is getting more and more crowded by the minute and he settles into his seat, making conversation with some other friends and classmates who have also come along. 

The lights dim and Reggie appears on stage, welcoming everyone. He looks pleased that it’s a full house though any event hosted by Reggie Mantle would draw crowds. “First up, we have the love and light of my life, the amazing Josie McCoy!” His voice booms into the microphone and raucous cheering floods the air. 

Jughead claps loudly and cheers for her. Josie is about halfway through her set when he feels it – a tugging. He suddenly has a desperate desire to move right, towards the door. The sound of Josie’s voice is drowned out by a buzzing and he smells peaches. He swipes at his ear, needing a distraction from all the sensations he’s suddenly experiencing. He glances towards the door and sees a blur of blonde hair. The head bobs through the crowd and disappears somewhere towards the corner of the bar. He’s not quite sure what he’s looking for but there’s something about that corner that draws him in. He feels an urge to get up in the middle of Josie’s performance to move there.

He resists, however, and turns his attention back onto the stage. His hands feel clammy and he feels like his entire body is on edge, buzzing with anticipation. What the hell is happening? He snatches his glass of water off the table and takes a big gulp.

The buzzing seems to subside but he can’t get rid of the feeling that he should be elsewhere, his body willing him to move as if being pulled by an invisible force. Before he can act on this impulse, Josie’s set is over and the crowd starts cheer furiously for her. Jughead starts to clap his hands together but his hands feel heavy, like there is something weighing him down. 

Seriously, what is happening?

Reggie bounds up to him and claps him on the back and the thought quickly dissipates from his mind. They start talking about how amazing Josie’s performance was. Josie joins them after a few more minutes and they both congratulate her. Jughead balls his hands into fists and slowly releases them, regaining feeling and some semblance of control.

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Jughead is at his job at the library when he feels it again. He’s in the middle of re-shelving books in the non-fiction section when he suddenly feels an overwhelming urge to move, go to something, someone. He looks around him but only sees a handful of students studying. He decides to just follow it – the feeling in the pit of his stomach. He drops the books back onto the cart and starts walking.

He realizes he must look like a mad man. He’s wandering through the hallways of the library, not knowing where his final destination will be and is being pulled towards something he can’t quite pin down or describe. He arrives at the entrance of the library and watches all the students move to and from. His blue eyes dart back and forth, searching the crowd though he still has no idea what it is exactly that he’s looking for.

His hand twitches by his side and he longs to grasp onto something. Whatever he’s looking for is gone, has left the building. The loss sits heavy against his heart.

He feels like he lost something that he never knew or really had.

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It’s like this for the next few weeks. He tries his best to go about his normal life but every so often, usually once or twice a week, he stops what he’s doing and gets the sudden urge to move towards something invisible. The first few times, he follows through with the instinct but the end result is always the same – finding nothingness and only disappointment. 

He starts to feel like he’s losing his mind.

Jughead is sipping his coffee, sitting at the kitchen island, typing furiously. He doesn’t know what time it is. His fingers are a little jittery from how much caffeine he’s consumed within the last 24 hours. But this is how he focuses and how he forces himself to concentrate. He finds himself being distracted easily nowadays and he doesn’t really feel like himself. He has so much restless energy that he needs to harness. So, he drinks coffee, barely sleeps, and works away at his writing. It serves as a proper distraction.

Jughead hears Reggie start to get up. His roommate shuffles out of the room he shares with Josie, shirtless, yawning as he pours himself a cup of coffee. “Dude, did you sleep last night?”

Jughead doesn’t answer him and just shrugs, continuing his typing.

“It’s 5:30 in the morning, man. You should really get some rest.”

No answer.

Reggie rolls his eyes and takes another big gulp of his coffee, sets his mug on the island, and drops to the living room floor, starting to do push-ups. He’s on 25 when he sees something he’s never seen before. Jughead Jones is on the floor next to him, also doing push-ups.

“What are you doing?” Reggie asks, his eyes wide. He’s known Jughead since the first day of freshman year and he’s never once seen him do anything remotely similar to working out.

“I need to stop thinking.” Jughead answers easily and continues doing push-ups.

Reggie’s impressed. He honestly thought that Jughead would collapse onto the floor after the first five but he continues. They work out in relative silence and when Reggie starts to move into a high plank hold, Jughead follows suit.

This is how Josie finds them. She blinks rapidly at the sight, also surprised that Jughead is on the floor, working out with her boyfriend. She moves into the kitchen and starts to make breakfast.

“You wanna go out on a run with me later?” Reggie asks as he wipes the sweat from his brow.

“Yeah, I think that’d be good.” Jughead agrees easily. He gets off the floor and gets himself a glass of water, drinking deeply. “I feel like I’m losing it,” he finally admits quietly.

Josie immediately moves and wraps her arms around him, giving him a tight squeeze. “You seem so restless lately.”

“I think it has something to do with my soulmate. I feel electric, like I have all this pent-up energy.” He runs his hands through his hair, unusually beanie-less. “I feel like I’m being haunted by her. There are certain times where I can actually feel her, like she’s in the same room or building as me and I try to go to her but it’s like, it disappears when I get there and I can never find her.”

“I don’t think that’s what haunting means. Ghosts are no joke, Jug,” Reggie says with a frown. He is a firm believer in the supernatural. “She’s not dead. You just have to find her.”

“How?” Jughead asks again, repeating the question he asked his roommate weeks ago. “We live in one of the biggest cities in the world. There are millions of people here. How am I supposed to find her?”

Reggie squeezes his shoulder and sits down at the island. “Well, you think she’s a student here, right? Maybe you should get out more often and see if you meet her somewhere. Join a club or something.” 

Josie nods, agreeing. “You might as well try to meet as many people as possible. She might be one of them. How do you know she’s not doing the same and trying to look for you right now?”

Jughead considers this and finally lets out a heavy sigh. “I can’t believe I’m doing this.”

Josie claps her hands together, excitedly. “Finally! Okay, so the club and activities fair is tomorrow and you are definitely coming with me.”

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There’s rows and rows of tables set up in the biggest room in the event center. Josie loops her arm through his and leads him into the space.

“There’s multiple floors too so don’t forget to check them out.”

Jughead’s eyes widen as he takes it all in. “Is everyone at NYU here?”

Josie giggles. “Seems like it, right? It’s a big event!”

They spot Reggie’s familiar head of black hair towards the back and Josie rushes over to him, dragging Jughead along. Reggie welcomes them and hands Jughead a sticker. “Welcome to the KSA table. Everyone is welcome! Do you have a love for K-Pop or Korean food? Are you part of the BTS Army? Is bibimbap your jam? Then this is the club for you.” Reggie’s practically shouting out to the crowd, hoping to attract people.

Jughead watches him in amusement and puts the colorful sticker on his shirt. It’s a stark contrast to the plaid red and blue flannel he’s wearing. He walks away from the KSA table and starts wandering, taking a genuine interest in the event. He’d never been big into clubs in high school. He had been a writer on the school newspaper but that was about it. He had a small group of close friends and it was enough for him. That was one of the main reasons why he picked NYU. He had gotten into a few other top tier schools but he wanted to challenge himself and force himself to come out of his shell. 

He pauses in middle of an aisle and he smells it again – that familiar scent of peaches. It washes over his senses and he takes in a deep breath. He looks around, trying to place where it is coming from. He feels that pull in his stomach again and he starts walking. He had briefly wondered if he should resist the urge to follow these impulses – after all, it is agony when he ends up finding nothing. But, he can’t help but he hopeful. This pull feels stronger than all the other times that he had felt before and he wonders if this means that she’s close.

His soulmate.

He finds himself near a table for the literary and arts publication and he spots Sabrina talking excitedly with someone. This someone wears her blonde hair in a tight ponytail and there’s something so familiar about her. 

Peaches. He smells peaches. The hallway. It’s her.

The buzzing and the tugging is back and he’s moving his feet towards the table before he even realizes it. He stops himself from running when he realizes that she’s walking away in the opposite direction. He tries to catch up to her but there’s too many people in the way. He looks around for her but he’s lost track of her and she’s gone, dissipated from his sight like an evanescent vision. 

He moves back towards the table that Sabrina is at. She greets him with a smile and hands him a brochure. “Jughead, hi. Are you interested in joining the literary review?”

“Who was that girl you were just talking to?”

Sabrina raises an eyebrow and looks at him suspiciously, crossing her arms in front of her chest. “Why do you care?”

“I think she’s my soulmate.”

She bursts out laughing and Jughead tries not to flinch at the sound. She stares at him disbelief. “Are you serious right now?” She narrows her eyes, “You literally thought I was your soulmate like 4 weeks ago.”

“I was wrong! She bumped into me in the hallway after class and I didn’t connect the dots until just now.” He’s desperate and looks at her, trying his best to convey his honesty. “I think it’s her though. I just feel this pull and I think there’s been this invisible force trying to lead me to her.”

Sabrina doesn’t seem convinced and just stares at him for a few moments, as if trying to size him up. She whips out her phone and starts texting someone.

Jughead stares at her expectantly. “Hello? I am pouring my heart out to you here and you’re texting?”

“I’m texting Betty to ask if her soulmark changed recently.” She looks back up at him and shrugs. “She’s my roommate but we’ve never talked about that. It’s not like we tell each other everything and plus, that stuff is personal to some people.”

Betty. Her name’s Betty. It’s suddenly his new favorite name.

If he wasn’t so focused on willing Betty to respond, he would’ve taken a moment to recognize how the universe had a funny sense of humor. Of course, they’re roommates. They both stare at Sabrina’s phone but Betty doesn’t respond. Jughead sighs and runs his hands through his hair, taking off his beanie.

“Sabrina, please, I just need to see her and talk to her. I just want to make sure that she actually is who I think she is.”

Sabrina falters and lets out a deep breath. “Fine, I guess you’re right. She’s going to be at that abnormal psychology lecture tomorrow morning at 10AM. I’ll text you the address.” She starts typing and Jughead feels his phone buzz in his pocket a few seconds later.

“Thank you,” he says gratefully.

“If she’s really your soulmate, you’re the luckiest bastard in the world. She’s amazing,” Sabrina says with a smile.

Jughead nods and smiles back at her. She’s definitely amazing – he just knows it.

00000000000000000000000000000000

The auditorium is already crowded when he arrives and he curses himself for not arriving earlier. The previous night, Jughead had foolishly and excitedly relayed his discovery to both Reggie and Josie. They had been bubbling with excitement and Reggie had insisted on coming with him to the lecture as moral support. Jughead’s not quite sure he agrees to this. 

“If you had just made your protein shake later, we would’ve been on time,” Jughead says, annoyed. He scans the crowd but there’s too many people to really make out who’s who. 

Reggie looks affronted at the suggestion. “Bro, you know that the protein shake is most effective post-workout. I am trying to maintain my muscle definition.”

Jughead stops listening and rolls his eyes. They take a seat towards the back of the auditorium and almost as soon as they’re seated, a student appears, standing behind the podium on the stage, introducing the guest speaker.

The lecture is relatively interesting. Jughead pays attention and jots down a few notes that he can utilize in his writing. He still feels the tug, this time in his chest but he’s content, for the most part. He knows he’ll meet her today and that calms him. 

Jughead is surprised to see that Reggie is actually paying attention as well. He knows he should give his roommate more credit. Reggie may look and act like a dumb jock but he was quite bright and definitely more perceptive than he lets on.

The speaker winds down her talk and they move onto the question and answer portion. Jughead tucks his small notebook into his pocket. He starts to get distracted after a few more questions, readjusting himself in the uncomfortable plastic chair.

That’s when he hears it. His first thought is who is talking? And his second thought is who turned up the contrast in his vision?

He’s read it somewhere once. Synesthesia – when one sense is activated, another unrelated sense is also activated at the same time. Or as Archie Andrews calls it – magic. Jughead’s attention is drawn to the beautiful blonde who is standing at the front of the auditorium. He sees the green in her eyes as she turns around to face the audience to ask a question and he tastes a strawberry milkshake. It’s all so vibrant. He’s hanging on to every word that she’s saying and desperately needs her to continue speaking. 

It’s over all too soon and she sits back down. The speaker begins to answer her question.

Jughead sits up in his seat, now fully alert. He squeezes Reggie’s forearm and says, “That’s her. That’s my soulmate.”

“The girl that just asked the question or the lecturer?”

“The girl that just asked the question. Her name’s Betty.”

Reggie nods toward the front of the room. “So, go talk to her.”

“We’re in the middle of a lecture. I can’t interrupt.”

“Dude, you can absolutely interrupt. This is your chance. That’s your soulmate down there. Go to her!” Reggie’s voice is getting louder now and Jughead notices several heads turning around to glare at them.

He smiles sheepishly and steadfastly ignores his roommate who has not stopped pestering him. Jughead slaps Reggie away and nearly bolts out of his seat when the speaker says her final thank you and moves off the stage.

He realizes that he’s pushing people out of the way and is probably moving a little too aggressively for most people’s standards but he can’t help himself. He needs to get to her. He can’t lose her in the crowd again. He jumps over a row of seats and lands next to her.

Jughead quickly straightens and she turns around to face him. She’s even more beautiful up close. Her eyes are sparkling and he feels like his entire perception of the world is now tinted with green, the same shade as her eyes. 

“Hi,” he breathes out, his voice hitching in his throat.

She smiles at him and everything sparkles and dazzles. “Hi.”

And, that’s all the confirmation he needs. He knows instantaneously that she’s the one.

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	3. Hold me while you wait

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for taking this ride with me and for reading! I'm so excited to finish my first story for the Bughead fandom :) More to come soon, I promise. I have something else in the works that's a lot darker and a lot smuttier. Anyone out there interested in beta-ing?
> 
> I told myself this was going to be a fluffy story but it's me so, of course, there's just a tiny bit of angst at the beginning. Also, some light smut at the end. Enjoy!
> 
> Chapter title comes from Lewis Capaldi's "Hold Me While You Wait".

_I hope that you’re happy with me in your life_  
_I hope that you won’t slip away in the night_  
_So tell me why my gods look like you_  
_And tell me why it’s wrong_  
_I will keep on waiting for your love_

_“1950” by King Princess_

**Chapter 3: Hold me while you wait**

Betty Cooper doesn’t believe in soulmates. Sure, she knows that they exist and she learned about them like everyone else in grade school but she doesn’t really believe all the myths that surround the concept. Just because someone is your soulmate doesn’t mean that you’re meant to lead a life filled with love and happiness with them.

She’s seen too many failed relationships with pairs that were supposedly soulmates. Her parents were supposed to be soulmates and all they brought upon each other was misery and disappointment. Growing up, she can’t think of a time that they were actually happy with one another. Their marriage had deteriorated too much over the years and it resulted in constant fighting. She can’t even count all the times that she and Polly had held each other, locked away in their room and hiding under the bed, while they listened to their parents fight and scream at each other downstairs. It all came to a head one blustery night in October when she was 10 and Polly was 14. She was dressed in a Cinderella costume. Her mom had spent nearly a full painstaking hour helping her with her hair but it was all worth it. She looked like a princess and more importantly, she felt like one. She and Polly were walking up the driveway, thrilled with the evening’s rewards. She was chewing on a Twizzler when she saw it. Her father was dragging a suitcase behind him while screaming back at her mother who stood at the open door, tears streaming down her face. It was so unlike them. They would fight like this in the privacy of their own house but they never broke the façade to the outside world. Everybody thought they were the perfect happy family.

Her father left them that day. She hasn’t seen him since. 

When Betty is 16, she watches history repeat itself as Jason Blossom, Polly’s supposed soulmate, completely devastate her, leaving her when he found out that she was pregnant with twins. She watches the nightmare scene replay in her head every time she wraps her arms around her sister, trying her best to comfort and soothe her. 

Maybe the women in her family just weren’t destined for love. 

So, she doesn’t really believe that soulmates are real. Sure, she knows that she has a tattoo on her right shoulder that says 19 and maybe, she will meet someone that is supposed to be the person that she falls in love with and spends the rest of her life with. But, maybe not.

She finds that she’s come to accept that. A tattoo on your body doesn’t mean true love. 

First day of classes have always been her favorite part of the academic year. She’s running late, however, which is completely unlike her but there had been a disabled train in front of hers on the subway which is how she finds herself bolting out of the station, into the building where her class is being held, and bumping chest first into someone.

She smells peppermint and cinnamon. It completely floods her senses and she feels a tingling on her right shoulder which is odd since she bumped chest first into this person. She sees out of the corner of her eye someone wearing flannel and dark locks peeking out of grey crown beanie. He’s handsome, she thinks.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry! I’m late for class, sorry!” She says quickly before rushing away. When she slides into the seat in her class, sheepishly blushing at her professor minutes later, she realizes that the pounding in her heart hasn’t stopped and she wants, more than anything, to walk right back into that hallway and find the man she had so clumsily bumped into.

It’s a strange thought. She’s never felt this type of longing before. She shakes her head and looks forward at the professor, banishing her thoughts away to the back of her mind.

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Later that night, she steps out of the shower and starts to untangle her hair with her fingers. She blow-dries it, flipping her hair down. When she rights herself back up, she notices it.

The 19 is gone, replaced by an infinity symbol. Her eyes widen and she finds herself touching the mark as if convinced that she could smear it by touching it. So, she met her soulmate today. A pair of blue eyes flash before her and her senses are filled with the smell of peppermint and cinnamon. She thinks back to the man she had bumped into accidentally.

Could he be her soulmate?

She shakes her head. It doesn’t matter anyway. She didn’t believe in soulmates. They weren’t real. She had made a pact with Polly years ago when Jason first broke her heart and left her. They would not let a tattoo they didn’t even want dictate their love lives. They were in control of their destiny. They wouldn’t let themselves be bound to the concept of soulmates.

She finishes up in the bathroom and pulls on a sweatshirt and shorts. She walks into the living room where Sabrina is currently watching a horror movie with avid delight.

“Can we put something else on? I don’t really like scary movies.” Betty asks as she makes herself some tea. “Want one?”

“Nah, I’m good,” Sabrina answers before she exits out of the movie. “What are you in the mood for?”

“How about a documentary?”

Sabrina pulls up her Amazon Prime account and starts flipping to the Browse section. Betty sits on the couch next to her roommate and sips gently at the steaming hot cup of tea. 

“See anything you want to watch?”

“Oh, that one!” Betty says after a few scrolls.

“Really?” Sabrina turns up her nose at the selection. She reads the title out loud. “Love Overtakes All?: The truth and reality behind the Soulmates phenomenon.” She raises an eyebrow and repeats. “Really?”

Salem, Sabrina’s fluffy black cat, hops onto her lap and Betty starts to pet the cat as he purrs contentedly, settling down. She shrugs. “Looks interesting.”

“Is there are a reason why you have a sudden interest in this topic? We’ve literally never talked about soulmates before.”

“No reason,” Betty answers and Sabrina turns back to the television, clicking on the program.

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“You will not believe what happened to me today,” Sabrina says as she walks into their shared apartment, flopping down onto the couch next to her roommate.

“What?” Betty asks between mouthfuls of vegetable lo mein. She hands a carton of scallion pancakes to Sabrina.

Sabrina accepts it gratefully and is chewing on a corner of the deep-fried delight as she launches into her story. Her partner in one of her English classes had professed his undying love for her and said that she was his soulmate. 

Betty knows that Sabrina is probably flourishing the story. She’s always been a tad bit overdramatic but Betty likes that about her. She appreciates the drama. When Sabrina is done talking, she grabs the fried rice container and starts to dig in. Betty looks at Sabrina curiously. “So, he’s not your soulmate?”

Sabrina snorts and lifts up her pant leg. “Got a few more years before I meet the love of my life.”

“But, how do you know this English partner isn’t the love of your life? You should at least give it a shot.”

Sabrina looks at her, confused. “Why would I try to date someone that I know is definitely not my soulmate?”

Betty sighs and turns to face her. “Didn’t you watch that documentary with me a few weeks ago? The concept of soulmates completely defies science. I mean, there’s nothing really even set in stone about it. It’s all guesswork and hoping for the best.”

“I disagree,” Sabrina says. “When you meet your soulmate, you’ll know.”

Betty sighs, annoyed, and resists the urge to tug her shirt down to reveal her soulmark. She lets it go and their conversation moves onto other, safer, less controversial topics. 

000000000000000000000000000000000000

When the tugging in her stomach starts, she ignores the feeling and the desire to propel herself in the direction of the pull. This is nonsense. What she’s feeling can’t possibly be real. There’s nothing tangible about it so she starts to ignore it. She finds herself, restless, unable to sleep, and unable to concentrate.

She forces herself to go on a date with a guy named Alex Baker. He’s a third-year student at Columbia studying Finance. They go to a cute little brasserie in Soho and she patiently listens to him drone on and on about his summer internship at Morgan Stanley. She stuffs a piece of buttered baguette into her mouth. Too many carbs, Elizabeth, she thinks, her mother’s voice echoing in her mind. She swallows the bitter taste in her mouth, not at all satisfied and finds that she can’t rid herself of it. She pokes at her dinner entrée and moves the vegetables around her plate but only nibbling at them, not really eating anything at all. She can’t seem to stomach it. 

There’s something about all this that just feels wrong. When Alex walks her home at the end of the night, he kisses her on the mouth and she has to do everything in her power not to push him away and spit out the taste of him. It ends after a few seconds, thankfully. She says her good night and rushes up to her apartment, slamming the front door and the door to her bedroom.

He’s not her soulmate, she thinks and she immediately dispels herself of that thought. No, that wasn’t it. The guy was just boring and uninteresting. The bitterness she tasted when she kissed him had nothing to do with the fact that he’s not her soulmate. 

She tells herself this as she falls into her bed that night, her eyes still wide open.

Lies.

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She knows that Jughead is in the same auditorium as her, watching the same speaker at the same time. For one, Sabrina had warned her when she got home last night after asking why she never responded to her text. She had told Betty that Jughead, her English partner who had said he was her soulmate weeks ago, thinks that she, Betty Cooper, might actually be his soulmate instead. It’s all a bit ridiculous and Betty finds it difficult to take Jughead seriously if his belief of who his soulmate is has wavered so much. It just further proved what she’d always believed – that all of this was guesswork.

However, she feels him as soon as he enters the room. That isn’t guesswork. She couldn’t deny it. When he enters the room, only a few minutes before the lecture starts, she feels him immediately. She feels all the hairs on her body stand on end. She cranes her head back, looking through the crowd for him but not seeing anyone that calls to her. 

When he stands before her, for the second time in a few weeks, she finds herself smiling. He seems nervous and excited all at the same time and she finds it endearing. He’s sweet. 

“Hi.”

“Hi.”

“I’m Jughead. I don’t know if Sabrina mentioned anything-“

“Yeah, she told me you’d be coming.” They’re both quiet after that. Betty speaks first. “Did you enjoy the lecture?”

“Yeah, it was interesting. I learned a lot.” His voice is deep and she thinks that she can stay in that moment, surrounding herself with the roughness of his voice and the texture of his cadence, forever. 

“Are you a psych major?” She already knows the answer to this. She knows that he’s an English major, like Sabrina, but she asks it anyway.

“No, I’m an English major with a creative writing focus.”

“Short stories or are you a poet?” She’s genuinely curious and the sound of his voice is washing over her. She doesn’t want it to stop. She smells his cologne – it’s dark and woodsy like an enticing combination of sandalwood and smoke. She wants to wrap herself around him and drown in it.

“A novelist,” he says, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand. “Or at least trying to be.”

She smiles at him and she feels like an idiot. She’s always been a friendly person but she doesn’t know if she’s ever smiled so much. “Why don’t you buy me a coffee and you can tell me about this novel?”

She surprises herself with this but there’s an undeniable tension between them and she finds that she genuinely wants to spend more time with him. A quick conversation after a lecture isn’t enough and she finds it strange that she has this need and desire to prolong their interaction, to have him closer, to kiss him. 

She’s never felt this way before.

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When they kiss for the first time, it’s several days later. He takes her out on a date to her favorite Greek restaurant in the Lower East Side. They’re crammed in the back at a tiny table and the waiter hits Jughead’s leg every time he walks by the kitchen. She’s dipping her pita bread into some spicy feta when he does it. He leans over the small table and kisses her. She’s so surprised that she drops the pita immediately and melts into the kiss.

Jughead pulls away after a few moments and she already feels the loss deep in her heart and against her lips. “Sorry, I couldn’t wait anymore.”

Betty smiles back at him and cups his cheek gently. “Then don’t.” She leans in and they kiss again.

She’s never wanted perfection in her life. She’s always told herself that it doesn’t exist and rebels against the idea.

But, this moment. This moment is perfect.

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They have their first fight three weeks later. They’re in his bedroom getting ready for bed. Betty’s brushing her hair when he asks it.

“Why do I feel like there’s still this huge wall between us?” Jughead looks at her through the mirror, his blue eyes bright and shining. He opens himself up to her so easily and she’s never shown him the same vulnerability.

She sets down the brush on his dresser and turns around to face him. “What do you mean?”

She answers his question with a question and it only serves to frustrate him. He lets out a sigh and runs his hand through his hair. “You know what I mean, Betty.” He gets up and goes to her, grabbing her arms gently and pulling her towards the bed so she stands between his open legs. “I need you to let me in.” He points at her heart. “You need to let me in here.”

She furrows her brow in confusion. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“Yes, you do,” Jughead says with another sigh. He presses his face up against her abdomen and she can feel his breath against her. “You’re my soulmate, Betty. We’re meant for each other.”

She pulls away from him as if scarred. “You know I don’t believe in that.”

He pulls his shirt down and exposes his shoulder. She stares at the infinity symbol on him and bites her lip, looking away. “Do you believe in this? This mark tells me that you’re my soulmate.” 

He gets off the bed and places his hand against her chest. She’s breathing heavily, quickly losing control of her emotions. “It’s not just that though. When I’m around you, when you speak, when we kiss, I feel,” he pauses, “everything. I feel your heartbeat and I see the most vibrant colors and it’s like for the first time, I’m seeing everything the way it’s always meant to be seen. You’ve opened my eyes, Elizabeth Cooper, and I don’t feel this way because some mark tells me to. I feel this way because I know what we have is real.”

He’s touching her so softly and she exhales slowly, her breath shaky. “I’m scared, Jug,” she finally says, her voice wavering. “I’m terrified of this. You’re so certain and sure about all of this and I’m-“ she falters and looks at him, her green eyes watering. “I just don’t know.”

“You don’t have to decide anything right now, Betts,” he says comfortingly. He pulls her into a hug and places a kiss on her forehead. He whispers into her hair, “We have our whole lives ahead of us.”

She doesn’t respond and just lets herself feel the beat of his heart against her ear. It’s calms her. Being wrapped up in him calms her.

They’re quiet for a few more minutes. Jughead brushes the hair out of her face with his hand and looks down at her. “My parents were soulmates and they divorced when I was 12. My mom just up and left one day, taking my little sister with her.”

Betty’s eyes widen at that. “I’m so sorry, Juggie.”

“It’s fine. I’ve had a lot of time to cope with it and come to terms with it. Sometimes love isn’t enough and marriages don’t work.”

“And, you didn’t stop believing in soulmates?”

He pulls her in closer and inhales her scent deeply. “I know that won’t be us. I would never let that happen to us. I knew you’d still be out there somewhere. And, I would’ve waited forever for you.”

She doesn’t know what to say to that so she doesn’t say anything at all. She just holds onto him tighter and hopes that he’ll never stop waiting.

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A few days later, or maybe it’s a week, she doesn’t really know anymore. Betty finds that she loses track of time when she’s with him and it’s just this one continuous reel of contentedness. Jughead’s on his way to a shift at the library and she’s heading to class. He drops her off in front of the building and pulls her in for a deep kiss. She smiles against his lips and loses herself in the feeling. She knows that he can easily become her whole world and that thought terrifies her. She’s never depended on anyone but herself. She pulls away from him.

“I need to get to class.”

Jughead pulls her back to him and kisses her again. He peppers kisses all over her face and she giggles. He’s still holding her tightly. “You’re everything, Betty Cooper.”

She knows what he means. I love you. He hasn’t said it to her, probably in fear that it would scare her away, but she knows what he really wants to say.

Betty smiles at him and kisses him on the nose before she turns to walk away. She thinks that she should feel fear at this point. But, she doesn’t. She just feels warm and comforted.

And, she thinks, maybe, she should just let herself fall.

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It happens slowly and it’s the little things that make her realize it. It’s in the way that Jughead turns to her when he wakes up in the mornings and kisses her softly on the forehead. It’s in the way that he looks when he has to say goodbye to her, always temporarily, when he drops her off at class or at her apartment when she insists that they need to spend the night apart because she needs to study. It’s in the way that he kisses her palms when he sees that she’s furled her fingers so tight against herself that she draws blood. It’s in the way that he doesn’t judge her, doesn’t rush her, doesn’t do anything but support her. 

Betty finds it so easy to fall in love with him. 

And, when she finally says it to him, one Saturday morning after he’s been inside her and she’s tumbled over the edge of ecstasy, he smiles so widely at her that she thinks that it must hurt to smile that hard.

“I love you.”

She knows it’s the fullest truth – an undeniable fact. But, she loves him for him. Not because he’s her soulmate and not because the tattoo on her shoulder tells her to. She loves him because she’s in love with him.

Jughead’s kissing her all over but pauses at her shoulder where her soulmark is. He kisses the tattoo softly and her stomach flutters from the feel. “I love you, Betty Cooper.” His voice is hoarse, shaking with emotion but there’s no hesitancy there. She knows that he feels it as deeply as she does.

Betty pulls him up towards her and his body stretches over her. He plunges two fingers into her and she gasps into his mouth at the sensation. She’s whimpering in pleasure and what she’s chasing after is so close. When she finally reaches the breaking point, he rubs her clit and her vision blurs as it all overtakes her. He’s reaching for a condom and soon, he’s thrusting into her. It’s hard. It’s fast. And, it’s the best thing she’s ever felt.

She wraps her legs around him and she’s leaving red scratches all over his back, her breath hot against his ear. She finds herself at the precipice once again and when she falls over it, him following close behind, she thinks that she can stay like this forever.

And, she still doesn’t know if she believes in soulmates but what she does believe in is her overwhelming love for him. And, maybe it was a tattoo on her shoulder that led her to him. Maybe it was that disabled train, that narrow hallway, her clumsy nature that led her to him. She starts to think that all those old adages and tropes that she’s heard throughout her life were all true – that all the roads and paths she’s taken has led her to him.

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End file.
